Soft, earthy , usually white mineral (dioctahedral phyllosilicate - clay). Produced by the physical weathering of feldspar?.
Used in medicine, bricks, paper and in ceramics. It is also known as [china clay]? and kaolin. One of the most common minerals it is mined in France, Britain, Germany, and China.
The crystallography? of kaolinite played an role in [Linus Pauling]?'s work on the nature of the chemical bond.